Unhinged
by DJ The Sonic Nerd
Summary: After being trapped in a mental fog for who knows how long, Pikachu awakens to discover a world tainted with violence and brutality. Luckily the little mouse Pokémon isn't alone, but can a team consisting of a quiet swordsman, a temperamental princess, and a slightly ditzy angel really get things done?
1. Chapter 1

_**(Consider this a strong T simply for the amount of violence as well as mild language that will be present. This is a bit of an AU: A dark Smash Bros. world in which everyone is actively trying to kill each other for the amusement of the audience and a Resistance team that tries finding out why. This is in no way connected to my main AU that I have going with another one of my small Smash Bros. fics, 'How to Infuriate My Friends'. I just like thinking up messed up Smash Bros. stuff, I guess.)**_

Chapter 1- Lifted Fog

The first thing Pikachu registered when sensation returned to him was the ground he lied on was cold.

He shivered a bit at the touch, preferring being warm much more than being cold. The ground, rather than the nice cushy pile of cotton back in his room at the mansion, was hard and felt… metallic. Why was the ground made of metal all of a sudden? Metal didn't mix well with electricity.

Pikachu shot open his eyes as quick as his body let him, curiosity overtaking him, when he was met with metal bars in all directions. And the ground was the same cold material. A pillow, blanket, and a food bowl was on the other side of where he was, a water bowl ear his feet. He was inside of some kind of cage.

His body sprang up immediately, his face sporting an expression that showed his surprise and anger. This had better not have been one of Bowser Jr.'s pranks again. The last time the little Koopa left him in a cage, he woke up to the sight of a hungry Chain Chomp with raw steak all over his body. Pikachu did a quick look around again; the lack of Chain Chomps was an improvement. Maybe Bowser Jr. learned some common human decency in the two-day span since his last dirty trick.

 _Well, at least he left food this time,_ Pikachu thought as he walked over to the food bowl and practically drooled over the Poke Puffs inside of it. Tamato Berry: his absolute favorite. A bite of the treat filled the Pokémon's mouth with a spicy but sweet flavor.

 _Props to BJ: he's got some mad cooking skills._

Where was he, anyways?

Looking past the bars after finishing his snack, he saw he was in a windowless, dilapidated room made of smooth gray stone. A few holes were cut into the wall, allowing air to circulate and letting Pikachu see the starry night sky. A full moon was out, causing Pikachu to whistle a little at its beauty. There were no doors in the room; it should have been virtually impossible to get in and out of there. There was a tiny hole in the wall, but not even a rat should have been able to fit. A few bits and pieces of various junk were strewn about, from cans of non-perishable foodstuffs to articles of clothing, to water bottles and a few pieces of technology.

Most curiously of all, Pikachu wasn't alone in the room. Over at the corner of the room, Pikachu could make out lumps on the floor, slowly rising up and down in a calm rhythm. Moonlight shined over an object and caused it to glimmer. The distinct gold glow it gave off was clearly indicative of Princess Peach's crown. And to the side of the other lump, it was clear what the object along the wall was: the Master Sword, with its unmistakable design.

"What're Peach and Link doing here?" Pikachu wondered to himself, and was about to call out to them when a snort against his cage interrupted his train of thought. A third figure, leaning against Pikachu's cage, snored away and muttered something about floor ice cream in his sleep. The white wings slightly poking through the bars was a dead give away.

"Pit's in here too?" Since he was closer by, Pikachu decided to start his investigation of the situation with the angel instead. Leaning his little paws out, Pikachu grabbed Pit's arm and started to jostle it, causing the angel to jump and make a loud yelp. He immediately pulled away and started to clutch the yanked arm. Peach and Link woke up from the sound.

"Your 3DS isn't trying to eat you, Pit, that was just a nightmare," Peach groaned almost automatically, turning on the light to glare more easily when both her and Link's eyes widened at the cage. _Why do they look so scared all the sudden?_ Pikachu thought as he felt the two's eyes on him.

"That thing is evil! I swear I woke up to it clamped on my hand more than once!" Pit said defensively. Pikachu grinned at the blush he made in embarrassment. "It's not that this time. Pikachu just grabbed my arm and I got a little freaked out, okay?" Peach's eyes widened, but Link's eyes narrowed towards Pikachu, analyzing him.

"He's awake…?" Peach said warily, immediately yanking Pit away from the cage. Pikachu tilted his head in confusion; it wasn't like he was out to hurt them or something… unless they were working with Bowser Jr. and that's why they were there with him.

As a tense silence filled the room and Link evenly studied him, Pikachu surveyed the three closer now that light made the action easier. Peach's normally beautiful pink dress was torn and dirty, a black eye adorning her right side. She was missing one of her shoes and her hair was a frazzled mess. What worried Pikachu the most was that she didn't seem to care at all, as if she grew used to her appearance. Link was missing his trademark green cap, leaving behind a clear view of half-singed blonde locks. His tunic also had its fair share of damage if the rips and tears were any indication. A prominent injury with the champion seemed to be bite and claw marks, as if he had recently fended off a wild animal. Pit's wings were missing more than a few feathers and his uniform, normally a pristine and well-kept white, was covered in grime from all sides. A thick bandage covered his right arm, the arm Pikachu pulled, as well as the right side of his head. Usually cheerful, Pikachu now saw the boy gave off the demeanor of a sick Growlithe.

"What do you remember?" Link suddenly asked Pikachu evenly, fingers twitching slightly in anticipation. Why was he asking _that_?

"Well… I remember the cookie raid me, Sonic, and Charizard pulled off in the kitchen just a few hours ago… but the more I look around, the more it looks like more than a few hours passed." All three of their guards went slightly down, and somber, sympathetic looks crossed their faces.

"More like two months," Peach said with a frown, causing Pikachu to jump in shock as Link motioned Pit to let him out of the cage.

" _WHAT_?!" Pikachu cried. The other three shushed him.

"Don't yell too loud. Someone might hear us," Peach scolded.

"I've been unconscious for two months?!" Pikachu yelled a little quieter than before.

"If only that were the case," Link told him. "Peach, show him." With a heavy sigh, Peach pulled out what looked to be a makeshift tablet and put on a video for Pikachu. What he saw shocked him to his core.

It was a recording of a Smash fight between himself and King Dedede, and everyone else in the audience, only something looked… off. Pikachu was finally getting to see his own appearance for himself, and he looked just about as banged up as the others. Scratch marks covered him from head to toe. One of his ears was in a constant downwards bend, something that made the same ear subconsciously twitch in the now. His tail looked bruised, and when he touched it now, it sent a sharp pain through Pikachu's body. It was safe to say every one of his fellow fighters were in a similar beat up state. A point of interest was his eyes, as were Dedede's and the others. They were clouded, glazed over from some kind of unforeseen cause.

" _Hello, Smashers! Are you ready to see some blood tonight?!_ " A voice rang from the screen, one that didn't belong to either of the Hands. The crowd went absolutely nuts. He even saw Kirby throwing apples at the two battling below and the normally calm Villager brandishing his axe for all to see, something they would never do. All the crowd were going nuts in one way or another, although in the video, the trio before him looked like they were faking it.

" _Then let the battle COMMENCE!_ " At the call to begin, the two fighters took off and proceeded to fight each other like two rabid dogs. Pikachu tackled into the larger penguin king quick as a whip, knocking Dedede over like a bowling pin. Pikachu immediately decided he had seen enough when he chomped down on Dedede's beak.

"T-Turn it off…" Pikachu whimpered, and Peach complied. Her expression was stony, Link remained as silent as ever, and Pit was in the back covering his face with a pillow so he didn't have to see at all. "Wh-Why would…"

"This isn't Master Hand's doing. He likes seeing us fight each other, but he would never make it go this far," Peach cut in, answering Pikachu's question before he even finished it.

"Then what-"

"We've all been kidnapped and forced to kill each other because of some faceless insane maniac," Link answered, crossing his arms and leaning easily against the wall. "Does that answer your question?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**(I am finally out of college for the summer. Finals were a pain in the neck, but now I have free time to write again. Plus I wanted to make a cover for this story.**_

 _ **This acts as a bit of an introduction as to how fights work in this story. This won't be how they all go, this is just a taste of what the group have to do in order to survive at times. Sorry for the delay and hope you enjoy.)A**_

Chapter 2- The Tourneys

 _It was a quiet day in the Smash mansion when it happened, rare for a building full of such misfits. There was one problem however: they were out of junk food. The culprits did little to conceal themselves, but they weren't the bulk of the problem._

 _Master Hand didn't like this fact, but he knew most of his fighters couldn't function without at least one unhealthy snack a day. Kirby threw temper tantrums whenever he didn't get cake and Jigglypuff whines and draws on faces without her special imported Poffins, for example. The food had to be replaced right away, and Master Hand knew just the duo to do it._

" _But why_ us?!" _Peach whined as Master Hand told her his request, Link right next to her with a disbelieving gaze._

" _Because you two were the closest, you typically do what I say without me having to fight you myself, and I'm not going to try to convince Sonic, Charizard, or_ _Pikachu to go replenish the larder," Master Hand explained, the trio of Smashers in question munching on cookies and a lot of other snacks they had just nabbed right behind the conversation. Sonic looked apologetic and Pikachu didn't even notice the duo, while Charizard was actively laughing at them. Link nearly flew off the handle from looking at the larger Pokemon's smug face and had to be held back by Peach._

" _Get to it, you two!" Master Hand concluded, giving them both coins before leaving in a cheery fashion._

" _Let's just get this over with, Link…" Peach sighed, resigned to her fate. Link reluctantly nodded before turning to Charizard._

" _Just so you know, these are_ your _cookies, elf boy," Charizard taunted. The Pokemon made a point to eat a cookie as noisily as possible in front of them. The two were in a tournament fight earlier and Charizard was holding a grudge for the loss._

" _Not cool, 'Zard. " Sonic scolded. Pikachu simply waved at them._

" _No, it's fine," Link said calmly as he and Peach headed for the door, a glare plain as day on his face, "Just don't expect us to remember to get Berries or cans of chili and hot dogs." He smiled, satisfied that the last he had seen of the trio before shutting the door was their dumbstruck faces._

" _What did you do to him anyways?"_

" _He made a Bob-omb explode in his own face and it sent him flying out of the arena. And somehow, that's_ my _fault."_

 _Despite neither one of them wanting to go, the shopping trip was done in record time. It was a combination of the two wanting to leave as soon as possible and being mere acquaintances; they didn't waste time fighting because they weren't enemies and didn't waste time chatting because they weren't friends. After tensions had settled down from their encounter with Charizard, things were peaceful overall. But as they were closing in on the mansion, a good half-mile away, the duo noticed a billow of red gas coming from every crevice of the building. Peach and Link looked at each other, confused and a bit alarmed._

" _Something tells me that's not from Wario…" Peach said nervously, and she yelped as Link grabbed her hand and rushed off towards the mansion, bags of groceries abandoned._

 _When they both arrived whatever gas that was coming out like smoke had dissipated and the usually organized chaos of the Smash Mansion had devolved into pure madness. The rest of the Smashers were on blind rampage within, destroying everything and anyone they touched without any provocation. Pikmin threw light bulbs from lamps at random passerby at Olimar's orders. Bowser and King Dedede were wrestling violently, biting at each other as they rolled and tumbled all throughout the floor. Ness and Lucas, the best of friends typically, were exchanging psychokinetic blows, leveling the section of the living room they battled in; Toon Link and Bowser Jr. clamored to join in with the two with unstoppable determination regardless. Mario and Luigi set the building on fire, no one able or willing to stop it, and Wario only made the fire worse with his gas. ROB and Mega Man were the only other two not causing any damage because they were both short-circuiting from whatever attack had caused this._

" _What's going on?! Has everyone lost their minds; we were only gone for 20 minutes!" Peach as in disbelief._

 _Laughter rang through the air, bringing an abrupt stop to the fighting. It unnerved the only two sane members, who decided to hide amongst the crowd so they wouldn't stand out. It definitely didn't belong to the Hands; it sounded too sinister._

" _HELLO, EVERYONE! SAY, DO YOU ALL LIKE VIOLENCE? RUTHLESS COMBAT? SEEING YOUR OPPONENT'S BLOOD SPILL ONTO THE BATTLEFIELD?!"_

 _The crowd went wild in approval, even the various fighters who only fought for sport, including in their home dimensions._

" _THEN FOLLOW ME, AND I'LL TAKE YOU TO A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN BATTLE TO YOUR HEARTS' CONTENT!" the disembodied voice continued, somehow getting the front doors to open. All the Smashers filed out, eager to see what was in store for them. Not seeing anyone who could stop the madness, Peach and Link followed, determined to find out what was going on and try to stop it themselves._

 _This very line of thought would be one they came to soon regret._

* * *

The next morning, when everyone had become somewhat well rested after Pikachu had woken them, Link decided to debrief Pikachu on how the tourneys, or as Peach liked calling them 'The Fights Where Friendships Die', worked. Pikachu was sat in front of the Hylian as he lectured on while Peach and Pit whipped up a quick breakfast from one of the cans.

"They don't feed us here?" Pikachu had to ask as he watched the others work away around the tiny portable stove.

"They do, but everything in here is tainted. It's one of the reasons why everyone's so hyper aggressive, so when the coast is clear, we raid the kitchen for fresh cans. They only spike the food after they take it out of the can, so it's safe," Peach explained, never taking her eye off of the stove. Pit was waiting by the stove with a granola bar he swiped, ready to crush it and place it on the warmed canned apples.

"I guess that makes sense…" Pikachu muttered, still a bit tired from lack of sleep.

The Pokemon didn't exactly enjoy the situation he was placed in. Everyone had gone battier than a Zubat and all he could do was play along? He wanted action! And his team was full of people he didn't even know well, let alone trust with his life!

"Can you get your eyes back up here please, Pikachu? This is really important," Link asked, calm but strict, snapping Pikachu out of his train of thought, He had zoned out as Link started discussing boring things like rules. The Pokemon liked winging it in fights, only following the rules when they're important for him to stay in combat.

"Sorry, sorry… you can keep going."

"Thank you. Now, we only really have two different kinds of fights the 'Announcer' typically brings up for the day: Stamina Battles and Team Matches.

"Stamina Battles work a lot how Master Hand used to run them: they're one-on-one and the last one still standing wins. You keep battering your opponent down until they either forfeit or pass out, and no one here ever picks Option 1."

"So like a Pokemon Battle, then?" Pikachu asked innocently. In truth, even with Master Hand he didn't really partake in Stamina-type fights. It's more fun to send someone flying than to watch them collapse.

"A little like that," Link continued, "Only you don't get to go heal up after a fight. Unlike Master Hand, the Announcer didn't put an infirmary in this place. Plus Dr. Mario prefers shoving medicine down throats these days."

"If you get seriously hurt in a fight, I can heal you with my Heart Power," Peach said, placing their breakfast in bowls. Pit immediately began devouring his own bowl.

"Stamina Battles are the _worst!_ " Pit said with a stuffed mouth before finishing his meal. "People in there are crazy! Once I got paired with Bowser, and he nearly turned me into a plate of chicken wings with his flame breath! And then there was the time I got paired with Bayonetta, and I was unconscious for two days cause I got beat up so bad! That one HAD to be on purpose! And then I-"

" _Anyways_ …" Link interrupted before Pit could go further into his tangent, "Team Battles on the other hand tend to be a bit easier in comparison. You're allowed to attack your teammates, so the whole thing becomes a matter of which team implodes the fastest. Knocking out the stronger, larger members of the teams help a lot." By this point, everyone was given breakfast, Peach thanked in the process. As the quick lesson ended, the group ate in silence until the 'Announcer' yelled into the speakers.

" _ATTENTION, FIGHTERRRRRS! REPORT TO THE WAITING ROOMS; IT'S TIME TO GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!_ " Cheering rang through the halls, as well as the resulting thunderous stampede.

"Go time, people," Link said, putting his half-eaten bowl of apples down and moving towards the wall. Pit and Peach followed him, Pikachu looking confused.

"Wait, how do we get out of here?"

Peach's response was to hand him a Mushroom. A Poison Mushroom, capable of shrinking them down. She pointed to the hole in the wall before scarfing her own mushroom down and leaving the room with the others. With a sigh, Pikachu ate the nasty tasting mushroom and followed their lead. Looking around as he grew back and fell into step with the growing crowd, the walls were even more dilapidated here than in the supposedly busted hole in the wall he had just emerged from. It was dark with nary a window in sight, the only light coming from dimly lit ceiling lights. Dents and cracks in the wall were everywhere, body shaped impressions everywhere including ones in his own likeness. Just how many unofficial brawls had he found himself a part of during his time here?

"Move out of my way, pipsqueak," Ike said with a sneer as he roughly kicked Pikachu out of his way when the Pokemon got too soaked into his surroundings. Yoshi and Greninja laughed as they passed him by afterwards. Quickly picking himself up, he caught up with the others and headed into what was known as the Waiting Rooms. A few fights had broken out already and the battles hadn't even begun.

" _GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE! I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR SOME FUN TODAY BECAUSE WE HAVE QUITE THE LINE UP!_ "

A screen appeared in the front of the room, showing various profile pictures of fighters. Surprisingly there was only a bracket of 8 fighters for the day. Pikachu expected the fights to go by quickly and therefore have more fights. But then again, as Link mentioned, people probably didn't back down easily. Of the quartet, only Peach was in the battle, but this meant Pikachu could get a better look at what went on. He had to know what he was getting into.

Peach was in the first round, a fight against Falco. Falco threw anyone in his path out of his way with his Reflector and quickly made it to the now open doors, already ready for a fight. Peach sighed, not liking being the one picked out of all of them. Nonetheless, her attitude quickly changed into the same aggressive and ready for battle mood as the rest, dashing through the doors as well.

The doors into the arena then closed and everyone else was led into the bleachers of a large coliseum, the same from the video. The group were at the front of the bleachers, clamoring to see the action. To Pikachu's horror, a lot of the Assist Trophy gang were on the other side doing the same. He could make out a few people: Starfy, Jeff, and Dillon were ones Pikachu could see first, with Waluigi and Ashley right behind them. Shadow was trying to throw Lyn in the arena off to the side, and her cries of protest told Pikachu that she wasn't exactly enjoying it.

"What're the Assist Trophies doing here?" Pikachu asked himself in shock.

" _ROUND ONE! FALCO!_ "

Falco came running out of the right side of the arena, roaring into the sky with his weaponry completely gone. He looked around frantically for his opponent, and looked disturbingly excited when the doors on the other side opened.

" _VS… PRINCESS PEACH!_ "

Peach walked out calmly in comparison to Falco, brandishing her tennis racket with a tight grip and a determined expression on her face.

"Looks like she's going for the tennis racket this time," Link observed from nearby. He had a thoughtful expression. Pikachu gave his respect for him being about to think at all; the Hylian was sitting next to the wildly screeching Mr. Game and Watch.

"Wouldn't her golf club make more sense?" Pikachu asked.

"If Falco had a smaller range for his attacks, then maybe, but his arms can go pretty far when he's swinging them. She wants to keep herself from getting hurt as much as possible, so she's gonna use it as a shield too," Pit summed up. Noticing the way Pikachu was looking at him, he went on the defensive. "Hey, I might not know how to read, but I know a heck of a lot about combat."

" _BEGIN!_ " the Announcer's voice boomed out, spurring Falco on. The pilot was fast, but Peach stood her ground, unmoving from her spot. Her look hardened, and she wound her arm up for an attack. As she swung, Falco struck out with his arm, blocking the hit. Though the racket was made of metal, he showed no sign of pain. With his other arm, he punched Peach square in the jaw and sent her flying. The crowd ate the hit up as Peach hit the ground.

"Hit her again!"

"Quit being a dumb bitch and fight back!

"WEAK!"

Peach immediately got up, unwilling to let the crowd's comments get to her. If she talked back at all, she'd get found out. Falco darted out on the first sign of movement, landing a swift kick in the gut. Peach bit back a cry of pain and grabbed Falco by the leg at the last second, using the inertia of the attack to launch him with her. Falco sprung off of the wall by his feet and attempted to land a headbutt, but Peach was ready. Since he couldn't evade her as easily, she wound up again and whacked him back into the wall. He landed head first and left a large dent in the wall, but got back up wobbling.

"That should have knocked him right out!" Pikachu cried in disbelief.

"What did I tell you? No one here gives up until they can't take it anymore," Link said in response.

"But he hit that wall at like 40 miles per hour!"

"I've seen you take more punishment than that."

Pikachu winced. He had to keep in mind that not too long ago, he was just like Falco. Seeing him not make a single boast on the battlefield, just animistic roars, saddened the Pokemon.

The fight devolved into this same wall smashing for the rest of its duration. With a seasoned and stony look, Peach lobbed Falco into the wall every time he got back up to harm her further. 3 minutes into the tactic, and the wall was covered in a noticeable amount of blood. An action like this would have gotten Peach banned from fights for a month with the Hands, but no one seemed to care, not even Falco. A battle cry here, another whack there, on repeat for another minute or so before Falco finally lost consciousness at Peach's feet. The doors in the coliseum opened, and Peach strutted out without another word, dress and racket soiled.

As the Announcer cited Peach as the winner of the round, the crowd went into an outrage. Obviously they weren't pleased with the pilot 'giving up so easily' as Cloud nearby put it. Some tried jumping into the arena to give the unconscious fighter a piece of their minds, while others chucked whatever they could at him. Pikachu could only watch, disgusted and enthralled.

And as he watched a group of fighters further attack the loser without mercy, Pikachu could only wonder what kind of monster would allow this behavior.


	3. Chapter 3

_**(Further planning on the storyline as well as new games to play and a vacation out of town is why this chapter took so long. I had no idea what new concept in the story I wanted to introduce first, so I went simple and decided to introduce an ally to the team, as well as the beginnings of how Pit joined Peach and Link. I hope you enjoy, and sorry for the wait once again.)**_

Chapter 3- Chef's Special

 _Early on, Link and Peach had to quickly adapt to their new lifestyles._

 _It was hard, of course. What could be harder than tiptoeing around all of your once friends turned wild animals? One day after a long set of battles, they first tried to pretend that everything was normal by sitting with their roommates and peers in the cafeteria for dinner. This was immediately abandoned when Samus, Rosalina, and Zelda gave Peach a concussion for getting near them and the Pits and Toon Link left Link with a black eye, his left wrist sprained, and a ruined tunic for their troubles._

" _So I take it you had 'fun' today too?" Link said as they met up after taking enough abuse, holding back hissing in pain whenever his wrist bent the wrong way. He hoped he could still wield his blade after this without too much trouble; his left was his 'sword hand'._

" _Totally," Peach said, trying to use a turnip she plucked from the cool ground as a pseudo-ice pack for her bruised head. "Hey, do you think it's possible to shove a Blue Shell in someone's ear because my head feels like it's exploding."_

" _...No?"_

" _Okay… just asking." Her stomach growled expectantly, sending a dull pain through Peach's body. "Ugh… would it kill them to hurry up with the food?" she moaned in a very un-princessy manner, causing Link to blink a few times in surprise. No one else batted an eye, as a small riot was breaking out in front of the kitchen. She noticed his expression and continued. "I really don't think this is any place to preserve formalities. I just got steamrolled by your destiny buddy and my daughter… I think… just for getting near them."_

" _I saw when Dark Pit tried dislocating my hand. Where did Rosalina even find that Ore Club?"_

" _You're asking about the Ore Club?!_ I'm _wondering where Dark Pit found that Beam Sword! That announcer guy never gave us any items!"_

" _Oh, he always keeps that old thing on him. Sometimes Toon and I woke up in the middle of the night to find him threatening Pit with it because he hogs the pillows or snores too loud."_

" _Whose bright idea was it for them to share a_ room _let alone a bed?" Peach pondered, baffled but amused. The light and dark angels weren't known for getting along often, on or off the battlefield._

" _You didn't hear this from me, princess, but I'm almost entirely convinced Goddess Palutena blackmailed Master Hand into it with her divine power for kicks."_

" _Sounds like something that green haired hag would do, alright." The two laughed lightly, soaking in each other's company. It had only been a week at that point, but they already felt like they could talk to and confide in one another. Afterwards, they were content to watch everyone else from a distance. It was pretty peaceful all things considered until..._

" _ATTENTION EVERYONE!"_

 _The duo winced as the announcer's annoying voice rang through the air. Where did the guy get off on being so chipper and upbeat?_

" _We didn't even get to eat anything yet…" Peach whined. Link tried patting her back in sympathy but got smacked for his efforts._

" _IN CELEBRATION OF EVERY ONE OF YOU FIGHTING SO HARD, I REWARD YOU WITH… MORE BATTLES!"_

 _Peach slammed her head on the table in exasperation and Link barely tried to stifle a loud groan. The two of them were already exhausted and in pain enough without having to fight more battles._

" _HERE'S THE ROSTER FOR THE MAIN EVENT!"_

 _A large screen appeared in the middle of the room, those chosen hopping around like a child on Christmas Day and those not whining in disappointment. For their part, Peach and Link looked to see battles they might be a part of with bated breath. Neither of them were picked which caused much relief, but there was one battle in particular that caught their eyes:_

 _Pit was going against Palutena in the last match of Round 1._

" _That's not gonna be an easy fight to sit through. Despite Palutena being an abusive hag, those two are really close," Peach assessed with a frown, feeling more sorry for Pit having to mindlessly fight his goddess more than anything. Link rolled his eyes at Peach's contempt, but nodded in agreement._

" _LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!" The doors opened and Duck Hunt and Diddy Kong flew through their respective doors. Everyone else went into the stands to watch._

 _The battles went as well as the duo expected. The Duck Hunt Duo and Diddy walked out of their battle half-barbequed from explosives, Diddy oblivious to his tail being on fire. The spider monkey had fainted first, so he was currently trying to 'avenge' himself in the back of the stands. The very short next round with Donkey Kong and Little Mac ended up with Mac looking like tenderized meat. Lucario fought with Fox; if Fox's legs weren't already metal, he certainly would have needed new ones._

 _The final battle of Round 1 finally came, the two competitors darting excitedly into the arena._

" _IT'S BEEN AN EXCITING SHOW, BUT NOW IT'S TIME TO DECIDE THE FINAL CONTENDER FOR THE NEXT ROUND! IT'S PIT…"_

 _The angel roared into the sky with a loud battle cry, a crazy glint in his eyes. It was disconcerting to see the excitable but friendly angel ready to tear an opponent apart like tissue paper. He was panting hard, muscles tense and ready to attack the moment Palutena came out… until he actually got a good look at her._

" _...VERSUS PALUTENA!"_

 _The goddess practically flew into the room, staff gripped tightly. She sent a look of pure hatred to her opponent along with a feral growl, while Pit stood dumbfounded. A moment later, the crazy look was gone, replaced with a dazed, much softer one. He looked around the room confused until he seemed to realize a bit of where he was._

" _L… Lady Palutena…?"_

" _BEGIN!"_

 _The duo noticed Pit make a startled jump at the announcer's voice, and they instantly knew something was up when he dodged her attacks instead of fought her._

" _No way… is… is Pit normal?" Peach questioned, eyes popping out of her skull._

" _More than likely."_

" _But how?! I can't even get Mario to snap out of it when I talk to him."_

" _Maybe it's because you haven't fought him in one of these battles yet. The mere idea of seeing his goddess set in front of him to slaughter must have brought him back to his senses. Kid's too loyal to attack her like this. Why isn't it doing the same to Palutena, though?" Link pondered, back now hunched in a thoughtful posture._

" _Maybe it's because she's a bitch and likes watching him suffer? I swear, the only other one who even sees it is Rosalina…"_

" _...Now's not the time for your rivalry, Princess."_

" _Lady Palutena, what's going on?!" Pit tried asking, only to get smacked in the head and sent flying into the ceiling from Palutena's scepter. He managed to get back on his feet from a tumble and shake the dizziness off, getting into a combat stance and catching on rather quick to the basic gist of things._

" _Aw, not_ this _again… one more time with you getting turned against me and we just might have to invest in tin foil hats." With a groan, he charged forward, ready to fight back if he had to but taking care to avoid seriously hurting Palutena._

" _Autoreticle!" With deadly accuracy Pit was blasted, and while he tried to shield himself, he was too slow to stop a large majority of the attack. He skid back on his feet, the traction of his sandals the only thing keeping him upright in the process. Pit then readied his bow; disarming her might help him out a lot in the long run. The arrow of light was released, but a spin of Palutena's scepter stopped it. In an apparition of godly white wings, Pit was slammed into the upper wall of the coliseum, blasted by a column of light as he fell with a cry of pain. He slammed into the ground belly first, stunned. Before he could even move, the scepter came at him like a boomerang, smashing into his side and sending him rolling to the other side of the stage. He made no other move to get up after Palutena made another decisive kick to the same injured side, the pain of now broken ribs almost blinding._

" _Oh… are you giving up already…?" Palutena taunted maliciously, and she grabbed Pit by the neck and punted him into the wall. He dizzily attempted to get up once again, but Palutena kicked him in the same area. The shock nearly made him pass out, but he managed to remain semi-conscious._

 _Pit had no words; only soft groans could escape his lips at that point._

" _Pathetic…" Palutena raised her scepter, about to go for the finishing blow._

" _Link, we have to help him. He's gonna get his little angel butt pulverized!"_

" _Or get his skull cracked open like a pumpkin. He's not going to walk away from that," Link stood up after consideration, taking out and preparing his clawshot to save Pit. The microphone roaring to life made him falter._

" _IT SEEMS SOMEONE DOESN'T WANT TO JOIN IN THE FUN! WE'LL HAVE TO FIX THAT!"_

 _So the announcer realized Pit was normal too. Link cursed and they both watched in horror as the ceiling opened vents up. An orange gas began to trickle out of them._

 _Reacting quickly, Link refocused on the task at hand. "Cover your mouth and hold your breath!" Link barked urgently to Peach, and as everyone began to go wild from a good dose of the new fog, Link used his clawshot to grab Pit while the substance locked him from view just as it crashed completely down into the bleachers and the stadium floor. Using his own cap, he covered Pit's mouth but was unable to protect himself in time. Just as it made everyone more riled up than ever, the gas made Link lightheaded and faint. He coughed and hacked, even staggered a few times where he stood with a glazed look in his eyes, but nothing significant seemed to happen._

" _You okay, Link?" Peach asked warily once the air cleared. He continued to cough but managed to nod in assurance._

 _A small beat passed before the announcer spoke up again. Just in case someone was watching, the duo staged a further assault on the unconscious angel, as if Link only grabbed him just so they could beat him up themselves for being so weak._

" _AND THE WINNER IS… PALUTENA!"_

 _The crowd's cheers were deafening, and those nearby the trio seemed to want to get in on the 'action' as well. Ness and Lucas made an approach, but a few rough throws of turnips to the head from Peach and no one bothered them._

 _As the battles continued and the mini tournament ended with a gruesome and bloody battle between Lucario and Donkey Kong that eventually ended in a tie, the duo barely paid any attention. They merely revelled in the fact that Pit was out of danger and was in their care, and the whole thing went off without a hitch._

 _Or so they thought._

* * *

Much of the walk back to their hideaway had Pikachu stuck in a stunned silence.

He couldn't believe his eyes. After the fight with Falco, it only got worse from there. The Announcer decided that the four who moved up in the ranks, Peach, Palutena, Zelda, and Donkey Kong, would all be put together in a free-for-all death match. Pikachu was dumb enough to catch glimpses of Pit and Link, both of whom were giving off hateful glares towards the speaker that only a slayer of gods and a person who was once a wolf could give. It must have killed them seeing Peach and their former allies attacking each other for this sick bastard's amusement, Pikachu thought. Triple fold because Peach and Zelda adored each other typically. The resulting slaughter was a bit hard to watch, as Donkey Kong let loose with primal gorilla instinct. Palutena got pretty badly beaten up before she unleashed a blast of light equivalent to a small nuclear explosion. Donkey Kong and Zelda were knocked out immediately, and Palutena would have won by default if Peach didn't shield herself in time and outlast the goddess.

"Sometimes I get this eerie feeling he puts them in battles a lot on purpose…" Pit grumbled angrily as they made it back to their secluded room.

"It has to be a coincidence," Link explained, coming inside after Pit and Pikachu did. He sounded calm and level, but Pikachu could hear the underlying tension in his voice. Peach brought up the rear, rubbing her wrist gingerly. She had sprained it from all the fighting. "We've hidden our tracks so well that he can't possibly know we aren't one of them."

"Besides the Announcer's a showboat. He'd want to make an example out of us and would come after us on the spot if he knew, Pit," Peach chimed in, trying to comfort the angel. Pikachu was content to remain silent, feeling a bit like an outsider. Being 'awake' for about 18 hours was nothing compared to nearly two months the others had been struggling together, no doubt making them form bonds; he felt like it would take a while for him to fit in.

"I know, I know… but doesn't it seem a little funny Lady Palutena alone's been in about twice as many battles as the others?"

"Who keeps track of these damned things? It probably feels that way because she's your boss and friend," Peach said, giving a light smile towards her comrade. "Don't lie and say you haven't been noticing Dark Pit more often too, for example."

"... I guess I do notice Pittoo a lot too…" Pit relented hesitantly. Peach gentle smile widened, and she gave Pit a one-armed hug and a rough noogie. Pikachu smiled as Pit started giggling. "Hey, knock it off," he said, sounding closer to his normal, lighthearted self. No bite was behind the command whatsoever. "I'm not a little kid!"

"You sure look and act like one," Peach said, rolling her eyes. She turned her head towards Link. "Do I need to give your hair a good messing up too, or are you gonna stop thinking about it?" Link raised his hands defensively with a small grin.

"I'm good. No 'hair messing up' needed. It takes a lot to get this done in the morning."

"When was the last time you even brushed it, liar? Including _before_ we got ourselves into this mess."

"I seem to recall you one day complimenting me on my windswept look, Princess."

The interaction seemed so casual. From what Pikachu could tell, it was Peach's job to cool things down when the others were upset. With her powers coming from the heart, it only seemed natural. After a while, they began to discuss dinner, so Pikachu went to go explore around their space a bit. The room was oddly enough pretty put together and sturdy for a hole in the wall, like there was a full intent for it to be used that never came into fruition. The stones forming the foundation were soft and cool to the touch under Pikachu's paws, a far cry from the hot, muggy stadium they had just come from. There was a small bathroom area complete with a long blanket hung on the ceiling for modesty; the tub was really tiny but it got the job done, and a latrine that flowed to the sewers was carved out. On the other side of the room next to Pikachu's cage and the sleeping bags were tons of books, a few board games, and Pit's 3DS on a small table. For entertainment probably. The center of the room had a long table, used for everything from holding their portable stove to teaching, like earlier that day.

Through the hole in the wall, Pikachu could see the sun setting, filling the room with the orange glow of dusk. The moon and first stars were just making their appearance in the sky, making Pikachu's eyes sparkle. Sunsets never looked more beautiful to him after all the revelations of the day, and he had a sneaking feeling the admiration would only grow.

"Hey, Pikachu," Pit suddenly said, carrying a paper bag he concealed in his uniform. "I'm gonna go hit the kitchen. We're out of some things and everyone should have gone off to the commons by now. Wanna come with?"

Pikachu thought about it. Pit looked like he could be a really good friend while he was inside this group. He was youthful and liked to joke around much like Pikachu himself. Even though she was nice, Pikachu got weird vibes whenever he got near Peach and Link wasn't much of a talker with people he wasn't close to. Pit was the best choice for a pal, and being alone with him like that was the best opportunity.

"Sure," Pikachu said with a smile, nodding. He walked up to the angel and took in hand a Poison Mushroom.

"Remember, we only need ONE of those canned chickens and some tomato soup. Don't bother Kawasaki for anything else."

"I know, Link, I know…" Pit said as he rolled his eyes and shrunk down. Pikachu followed suit and went into step next to him.

"Kawasaki?" Pikachu asked once they were well on their way.

"Yeah. He's a chef from Kirby's world. The Announcer kidnapped him and forced him to start making all of our meals, but he never gave him any gas, so he's perfectly normal. He and I hang out a lot."

"Knowing how you are with food, I can see why." Pikachu chuckled at the thought that came up, one of Kawasaki making assorted meals for the bottomless pit of an angel. He wondered to this day why he and Kirby weren't better friends.

"Hey, I burn all of those calories off! I'm a warrior; it's only healthy!"

"Nuthin' says 'healthy' like a cascade of burgers and fatty slabs of meat on top of a waterfall of ice cream every day…" Pikachu teased. Pit pouted but took it in stride, even when Pikachu poked his belly a few times for emphasis. The duo quietly snuck into the kitchen through the back door, where they saw Chef Kawasaki cooking up a large meal. The orange Popstarian was anxious and flustered, running around all over the place to prepare to feed all over fifty of them. He looked bruised up but overall relatively unharmed. There were no cameras in there, so it was safe to talk freely.

Kawasaki was grumbling as he sauteed a half ton of steaks, the strain of his situation taking a toll on him. "This is nutty, I tell ya! How does he expect me to keep doing all of this without ending up in the hospital?! I already got slashed at twice today by those wackos!"

"Chef Kawasaki…?" Pit suddenly asked, causing the poor chef to jump and drop one of the steaks on the floor. He proceeded to cower and hide. "Please don't hurt me! S-Steak takes a long time to make an-and-"

"Calm down, big guy, it's only me!" Pit said with a smile, approaching him carefully and giving him a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. After cautiously looking up, Kawasaki calmed down.

"Oh, Pit… don't sneak up on me like that, you scared me half to death!" Kawasaki slowly got up and gave him a light hug. "What can I do for ya, little guy?"

"We need a canned chicken and two cans of tomato soup. Peach wants to 'experiment' again...," Pit said, wincing slightly.

"You got it." Kawasaki winked and reached into the cupboards to get the requested items. Out of the corner of his eyes, Pikachu saw the rack of various salts and chemicals.

 _Must be the stuff used to taint the food,_ he thought with a shudder. The large chef came back with the goods, along with three chocolate bars and one of the steaks wrapped up tight. "Already made and on a separate pan. Not a single drop of those horrible chemicals on it," he said.

"W-Wow, thanks, chef! You really don't have to..." Pit said, astonished at the generosity. Pikachu was beaming as well. It was good to see someone else with a kind heart around here.

"I insist; you tell me all the time how hard you guys have it when it comes to food in that little hole of yours. I won't take no for an answer anymore. If Link refuses the extra stuff, he can come work it out with me himself." The chef finally noticed Pikachu and jumped a bit, later calming when he realized he wasn't there to hurt him. "And I see you've got another mouth to feed anyways!" he said, surprised.

Pikachu gave an awkward wave hello, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"We just freed him last night. He's still learning how things work, but I can already tell he'll be a good fit for us."

"With that little sparkle in his eyes? He'll be fine," Kawasaki agreed. "Here. That means you get some chocolate too." Pikachu graciously accepted the chocolate bar, still feeling like it hadn't been that long since last having one but craving it fiercely nonetheless.

"Thanks." With a little pat on their heads, Kawasaki sent them on their way, looking back to continue his excessively tall order.

Peach was waiting at the stove when they got back, with Link napping on his sleeping bag. Pit made sure to hide the steak and chocolate just so it could be used as a last resort instead of being thrown into whatever Peach wanted to make.

" _Please_ tell me you're making something simple," Pit begs as he handed off the cans. A look of sadistic glee filled Peach's eyes.

"How does tomato soup and cherry pie filling stuffed chicken sound?"

From the small sauce explosion that occurred, leaving the table and floor a mess, it didn't sound good even to the appliance. At least they still had the steak…


	4. Chapter 4

_**(This is a shorter but necessary chapter. I'm definitely planning for the next one to be long; this one just helps it transition smoother. Hope you enjoy regardless.)**_

Chapter 4- The Outsiders

"If you want a standard for how awful these fights can get, Pikachu, look no further than any involving an Outsider."

Another session of lessons from Link is what Pikachu started the day with, as Pit took over the duty of making breakfast. It was a lesson born of genuine curiosity; Pikachu had seen Bayonetta and Ryu have an oddly civil discussion on the way back from the kitchen the day before, and he was wondering if there was a reason for it. An awkward silence permeated the once comfortable room and moments later, the discussion began.

"Outsiders didn't get affected like us Nintens. With Nintens, you can do what Peach did yesterday and continuously pummel them until they go down." To demonstrate, Link repeatedly lightly chopped at his hand. "Their tactics are simple to uncover, and they usually resort to ramming into their opponent or otherwise strike animalistically, not bothering at all to even defend themselves from blows. Only the strong, fast, or armed among them are true dangers. With Outsiders, it's a different story; they still have the same blood lust, but the difference is they have a higher capacity for thinking. They're smarter and can fight like they could before this mess started, only without holding back. As a result, most if not all of them were turned into complete sadists. Peach, show him."

"Gotcha," she said, walking over to the two as she took out their tablet. There were various images depicting extreme amounts of violence, from Bayonetta digging her heels into a downed opponent until she broke through their pain threshold and made them scream, to Cloud practically impaling Marth with his Buster Sword with an unnerving grin on his face. Pikachu pushed the device away when he had seen enough to get the point; the Outsiders were surely a small but deadly force.

"When you fight an Outsider, you _have_ to beat them to get out of it without serious injury, or else they'll just prolong the agony. See these claw marks?" Link paused to show off some of his more gruesome scars that he received from these fights. "I didn't get most of these from you when we were dragging you here, although you didn't leave me unscathed; I got them from Sonic when I was in a tourney fight with him just before. The bastard tripped me before using me like a cat's scratching post until he got bored."

"Sonic and Bayonetta are especially bad. Bayonetta's the smartest one of them all and Sonic fights like a mix between an Outsider and a Ninten. He can strategize like the former and he's completely demented and savage like the latter. To top it off, I'm almost certain they all _like_ it when you land a hit on 'em…" Pit said with a shiver.

Pikachu gulped. All the Outsiders were pretty nice guys and Sonic was one of his best friends in the entire roster. He hoped he never had to fight one of them.

The announcer's voice boomed through the speakers, calling everyone to the lobby once again. The walk once again led to Pikachu getting shoved into a wall, this time by a sneering Dr. Mario, carrying pills that looked filled with poisons. None of the group were put into combat this day, but two Outsiders were in the brackets, allowing Pikachu to see their brutality firsthand.

The first match of the day was between Lucas and Pac-Man. While Lucas stuck to swinging his blunt stick around, not even considering using his PSI abilities other than the occasional PK Fire, Pac-Man was much more varied. Trail after trail of Pac Pellets were utilized to make Pac zip around the arena like a pinball, giving him ample time to pelt the boy with a cornucopia's worth of fruit before Lucas could even track him down. A lunge was met with Pac jumping high into the air with his trampolines, prepped well in advance, and dropping a fire hydrant right onto Lucas' back. It was a miracle his spine wasn't shattered on impact or that he managed to stay conscious at all; Pikachu had seriously underestimated the drive the gas gave them. Pac finished things off by commanding his little Ghost pals to pummel Lucas into submission, a truly brutal display if Pikachu ever saw one.

Another match in the first tier was between Jigglypuff and Sonic, a match one without Sonic needing to land a single blow. As Jigglypuff instantly ran straight on towards her foe, Sonic struck. He ran around in circles across the arena, rapidly forming a massive tornado around the small pink Pokemon. The tornado sucked out all the oxygen from the inside, including inside the Balloon Pokemon, and when the tornado dispersed, Jigglypuff was flattened and unconscious from asphyxiation. The demented cackle the hedgehog bellowed after seeing his handiwork made Pikachu shudder. The Mouse Pokemon managed to catch sight of his eyes, a piercing, deep red showing itself instead of Sonic's normal emerald green. That was something the Outsiders seemed to have in common: a sinister red overtaking their irises.

When Pikachu thought it was safe, Sonic suddenly appeared behind them, Pac-Man next to him. Pikachu fought down the shiver that attempted to shake his core. The others visibly tensed as well; what were they doing, choosing to sit so close?!

"That was a good job out there, Pac. Kid didn't even see that hydrant coming…" Sonic said smoothly to Pac-Man, in a voice that was barely recognizable to Pikachu as the hedgehog's own. It was quieter with a growl melded into it, unlike the louder, more boisterous tone it usually had. The two were speaking in private, but Pikachu's ears could pick up on their voices.

"Don't pretend your little tornado stunt wasn't impressive either, 'Nic," Pac-Man said with a clownish chuckle, waving him off. "I wish you kept going with so the light completely left that annoying cream puff's eyes."

"I would have, but I don't want the punishment for killing another fighter. We're here to cause suffering, not to pick them all off so we run out of victims, remember?"

Pac-Man made a small huff. "Wish we didn't have to abide by that rule unlike the rest of these lowlifes." He spawned an apple and quickly scarfed it down.

'They got _banned_ from killing people? Wonder who had to get axed for that to happen…' Pikachu thought sorrowfully. It was saddening to think that there were fatalities.

"You couldn't have at least smashed the kid's spine? I was kinda lookin' forward to seeing bone…"

"He'd be broken, crippled merchandise then. Where would be the fun in fighting _that_?" Pac-Man said with another chuckle. Sonic joined in with a cackle of his own, marking Pikachu's cue to stop listening.

"What'd I tell you?" Link said when Pikachu stopped listening to the two. "Totally mental."

Pikachu couldn't help but nod.


End file.
